Robert Taylor Homes

years figuring out the ins and outs of a gang society (Venkatesh 14). Sudhir receives the chance of a sociologist’s lifetime to see first-hand what life is like in the projects. He follows gang leader, J.T. around and studies his life at the Robert Taylor homes for years. Throughout Venkatesh’s experience he witnesses many things some people go a lifetime without seeing. For example, he was no stranger to seeing people use drugs or get beat up by gang members. One interesting aspect of Venkatesh’s

to lower crime rates because the community members are essentially setting the standards for the behavior for what will and what will not be accepted. However, in Gang Leader for a Day, I have noticed a deviation. The people who lived in the Robert Taylor homes had been there for years, take women such as Ms. Mae and Ms. Bailey for example. Neighbors knew neighbors, children were taken care of by other neighbors, and there were respected and

that just statistics could not give. Also it portrays social disorganization in the community, specifically, the Robert Taylor Homes. Shaw and McKay’s social disorganization theory is that crime increases when poverty, ethnic diversity, and constant moving of houses, leads to social disorganization in the community (Sampson&Groves,1989). This paper will discuss how the Robert Taylor Homes support the social disorganization theory, due to an unstable family life, and poor economic conditions. Following

Gang Leader For A Day SECTION 1 1.) How would you respond if a graduate student from an elite university turned up at your door and announced his intention to study you? If a graduate student from an elite university showed up at my door with intentions to study me, I think that I would allow him access. I would like the chance to hear what they had to say about my lifestyle. I’ve always questioned the way I live and if other peoples lives’ are similar. I don’t think that I live an odd

relate to. For me, life was not easy growing up in Atlanta as a black male, as a child I consistently witnessed situations similar to what Sudhir Venkatesh experienced such as gang beatings and the selling of illegal substances. Growing up I moved homes and schools a few times and from this experience I learned that initially you will not be accepted in a certain community, you have to slowly get accustomed to the “norms” before you are welcomed in. Surprisingly the streets are a very judgmental place

their homes while the husband was at work, to nurture and to bear children. Aside from their husbands, they had no legal identity and were dependent upon what income he brought home. Since the men were the breadwinners, their true manhood was tested by how well a man could provide for his family and the women were the “homemakers” so their true womanhood was tested by how good of a mother, and housewife she was. During this time, there was little distinction between the workplace and home. Women

about seven or so years within the Robert Taylor Home community, jotting down notes and meeting up with citizens of the community. You can debate whether or not, Venkatesh was being ethical and not. Venatesh formed relationships with his study, which was unethical by his lack of consent, which in return, disrespected the community. He misunderstood their rights, writing down notes whenever he could behind their back or even remembering everything before he got home, making sure no one would see him

You’re a graduate student at the University of Chicago and you’re pursuing your degree in sociology. You’ve been going to seminars and they do not seem to be doing anything for you. You want to get to the root of problems. You go searching for answers and you find them in the office of a professor. Still there seems to be something missing and you go looking for it. This is what Sudhir Venkatesh goes through. As a rogue sociologist, Venkatesh struggled with changing a research project, getting information

by gangs, drugs, and violence, he eventually changes not only his outlook on poverty, but a significant amount of sociologists along the way. Sudhir, also referred to as Mr. Professor was first questioned and prodded after showing up to the Robert Taylor apartments for the first time. With great risk to his health he continued on his mission to study poverty. Using questions from his clipboard, he rattled some off to those

the Robert Taylor homes is a functioning capitalist society. As in all capitalist societies, it is the role of the government to defend the economic interests of the faction that controls the means of production by suppressing anyone seen as a threat to its dominance. In the Robert Taylor homes, the Black Kings were the state that defended the means of production by suppressing any threat to their business through notion of hustling. Even though as a functioning capitalist society, the Robert Taylor